Akane's New Friend
by Mat49324
Summary: Akane meets a new friend while on her way home from school. Will they be friends? Read to find out. First Ranma fic; take it easy on me. Flames not welcome
1. Meeting Akane

(Well... another series I'll probably start: "Ranma 1/2". My first fic for a new series, readers. Please take it easy on me, okay? I HAVE seen the series... well, season 3 only, and it was HILARIOUS!! Alright, I hope you do like it. Well, here's my first ever fic of "Ranma 1/2". Hope you enjoy. This first chapter will be relatively short. I don't own the characters of the hilarious show, but that doesn't mean I can't borrow them. By the way, yours truly is in this... as in all of my other fics.)

Copyright 2008

I was sitting down taking a break from my long afternoon walk, just enjoying the view from the residential area I was in. I wore a light grayish T-shirt with 2008 Supercross Lites East Coast champion, Trey Canard's last name on the back and underneath it was a number 48.

"See you tomorrow," I heard a girl's voice say.

_Well... this girl I just heard must come through here a lot,_ I thought.

When I saw her round out her turn, I noticed she stood somewhere around 5' 4" with short blue hair and a pretty blue-greenish colored dress. She'd be the perfect friend for me!! As I put my foot down, I felt something poke it inside my shoe.

"Darn pebble," I said to myself as I took off my shoe and shook it out.

I finished putting my shoe back on as soon as the girl walked past me. After she was about 10 ft. ahead of me, I went on my way, too... though it was the way she was going. While I was walking, my foot slipped on something and I saved myself from the railing that was on my right side.

"Phew!!" I said, clutching my chest.

Unfortunately, the impact I had to have my hand take was just loud enough for the girl to notice.

"Um... were you following me?" The girl asked me.

"Yeah, then I slipped on something; I think it was some asphalt," I said.

"Well, it _was_ raining yesterday," She said to me.

"It was?" I asked.

"Yeah," The girl answered. "By the way, you weren't spying on me or anything, were you?" She asked me, looking a little testy.

"Oh no, no no no," I said, holding my hands out in nervousness. "I was just making my way back to my place... but now that I think about it... you _do_ look pretty familiar."

"I do?" She asked me.

"Yeah," I answered. "I remember seeing you... a couple of times when I was walking around, trying to get to know this place better."

"Do I live nearby you?" The girl asked me.

"Uh, maybe about a couple houses down on the same side where you live... if it's some sort of dojo or something," I guessed.

"Well, you guessed right," She said to me.

The two of us stopped at the nearest bench and sat down next to each other.

"By the way," I said, remembering something real important. "After seeing you a couple of times or so... not in secresy, I believe this is the first time we've um... _actually_ met."

"Mm-hmm," The girl said to me. "My name's Akane." She said, holding out her hand.

"My name's Mathew," I said to her. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Same here," Akane said, smiling at me.

The two of us shook hands... seeing as this was the first time we met.

"So, Akane, is it?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm," Akane answered. "Akane Tendo."

"That's a pretty name," I commented.

"Thanks," Akane said to me. "How about you have dinner at my place and I'll introduce you to the rest of my family... and show you around?" She offered me.

"I'd appreciate it," I said to her.

"Great," Akane said to me, sounding cheerful.

"Hey, let's have a couple of soft drinks," I suggested. "I'd like to find out more about you."

"Huh?" Akane said, sounding surprised.

End of chapter.

(Well, I think I'll stop here, even though it's shorter than my normal chapters. If anybody knows the setting of "Ranma 1/2", please mention it in your reviews. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's my first "Ranma 1/2" fic, so please take it easy on me... I'm still a newbie to this community after writing 10 stories for "Detective Conan/Case Closed", and 26 stories for "Totally Spies". So, I guess I'll be known as a "Detective Conan/Case Closed" and "Ranma 1/2" author now. Well... for now, leave your reviews and tell me what I could do to improve this story in the future. Thanks... now, hit the "go" icon down below you and leave in those reviews.)


	2. Getting to Know Each Other

(Well... here I go again with the next chapter of "Akane's New Friend". Wow... 6 reviews already? That's a bunch... to me anyway. Thanks you guys... that feels great!! Thanks to **The Time Travler**, **crusincloud**, **Excel**, **kudo-miyaka**, **ImSomeone**, and **2627adik** for reviewing. Obviously Ranma 1/2 seems to be a very popular anime show. And in fact, "Jeopardy!" had an anime category some time ago if you haven't been paying attention to the TV very much, and one of the responses was not Ranma 1/2, but another one of my favorites, Sailor Moon. Well, anyway, enough with TV and on with the fic.)

Copyright 2008

(Akane's P.O.V.)

I was surprised at what Mathew offered me -- a couple of drinks together? Nobody offered ME anything before... even though it was just a friendly get-together to know more about each other.

"Sure, I'd love to," I said to Mathew, smiling.

That's pretty much all I would've said... personally. So, the two of us went to a nearby diner and ordered a couple of drinks. I offered to pay, but Mathew was nice enough to pay for me.

"So, tell me, Mathew," I said to my new best friend. "Why'd you decide to come all the way out to Japan from wherever it is you live?" I asked.

"See the world, got a deal to race motorcycles here, and start my normal life," Mathew responded. "And whaddya know... I move in a week ago, and you and I are practically almost next-door neighbors."

"I know," I said, almost laughing. "And what are the chances of that ever happening?"

"Slim but still possible," Mathew answered.

"So, tell me about yourself," I said to Mathew.

"Well, I'm here from the states or United States I guess you could say; I enjoy music, watching and riding motocross, playing a ton of video games, plus I'm one of those people who prefer the old days like the early or mid 90's or late '80s," Mathew said to me. "Plus I'm a huge game show addict; what does that mean... well, I watch a lot of game shows; I've been watching them ever since I was born 20 years ago."

"Wow... sounds like an interesting lifestyle," I said, looking real surprised. "Which of the states are you from?" I asked him.

"The last of the 50... Hawaii," Mathew answered.

"Wow!!" I said, sounding real shocked. "I've never been there before!! What's it like back there?" I asked, looking real interested.

"Well... it's pretty cool... a lot of beaches, hotels, fancy restaurants with a little Japanese culture, heck, I think it's got Korean too -- basically the BBQ; but the only thing that's wrong with it is the government -- it is REALLY stupid," Mathew explained.

"Wow," I said again; it was pretty much all I could say.

"Not to mention the shutdown of a local airlines, which took a big 'kaboom' on the tourism there," Mathew added. "But overall, Hawaii's a great place to vacation in; if you're born there like how I was, it's even better."

"Sorry to hear that," I said.

"Oh, forget it," Mathew said. "What about yourself, Akane?" He asked me.

"Well, as you know, I'm Akane Tendo, I'm a student at Furinkan High, I'm the youngest of my three sisters, Nabiki and Kasumi, I work out a lot with Karate, I enjoy hanging with my friends from school -- movies, the beach, the pool, and... I'm engaged," I said to him.

(End Akane's P.O.V.)

"Wow," I said after a moment of silence. "Was it a decision by you or your folks?" I asked.

"My folks," Akane answered. "I'm engaged to Ranma Saotome, who constantly says that I'm uncute."

"I can't believe he'd say something like that to you," I said to Akane.

"Huh?" Akane said, looking surprised. "I'm cute to you?" She asked me.

"Well, if I had to rate you on a scale of 1-10, 10 being really cute, I'd give you an 8.9," I responded.

"8.9?" Akane asked. "Why 8.9?"

"Well," I said. "the only REAL problem that I see with you is your hairstyle... not that it's a BIG problem, but I kinda like girls with long hair, but some girls like you, I'd make an exception."

"Kasumi has long hair," Akane said to me. "Nabiki and I are the ones with short, but I used to have a different hairstyle before I got rid of the old one."

"Really?" I said. "That's kind of like me -- only I used to have a mustache, but I got rid of it because I just plain didn't like it there."

(A/n: It's true, I DID get rid of my mustache that I had growing.)

"Wow, I had never noticed that," Akane said to me. "Ranma's Dad doesn't have a mustache, but MY Dad does."

"Glad I'm not the only one," I said.

"But there is one little thing about Ranma and his Dad," Akane said to me.

"What's that?" I asked.

"When Ranma's splashed with cold water, he turns to a girl, and when splashed with hot, she turns back to a guy; when Mr. Saotome is splashed with cold water, he turns into a big panda," Akane explained.

"Oh my gosh," I said, almost laughing.

"They're both from Jusenkyo, China, and have been hit with a mysterious curse -- that's the cause of their changes when splashed with water," Akane said.

"That's the most strangest curse I've heard since another sports curse when the Supercross Lites class hits Las Vegas, NV for the Lites Shootout," I said, looking real surprised.

"What kind of curse is that?" Akane asked me.

"Well, this all started back in the year 2000," I said to Akane. "Ever since the new millenium, a regional champion has won the race only once -- in 2004 when East Lites Champ, James Stewart won it, running the number 259, instead of a 1e; from 2000 to today, except for 2004, a regional champion has NOT won the East/West Lites Shootout race," I explained.

"What's supercross?" Akane asked me.

"Basically, dirt bikes racing in a football or baseball stadium on a man-made track consisting of whoops, triples, doubles, etc.," I said.

"Oh so that's what you're going to be racing here?" Akane asked.

"That and Supermoto," I answered. "Which is racing on a combination of dirt and asphalt. There's nothing more I like to hear than the sound of a 4-stroke 450cc Supermoto bike or Supercross bike revving, or the sound of a song from the late '80s or early '90s."

"Awesome," Akane said to me.

(Akane's P.O.V.)

"Well, if you're set, I'll take you to my place and introduce you to my family," I said to Mathew.

"Sure, got nothing else to do that I know of," Mathew responded.

So, after we both had finished our drinks, I took him to my place to meet my folks.

"I'm home," I called out to Kasumi and the others. "Oh, and I brought a friend here," I added.

"Well, hello there," Kasumi said when she saw me with Mathew.

End chapter.

(Alright, I think I'll stop here. What was your favorite part or parts? Me meeting Akane's folks will be in the next chapter. Hope you liked it. I know I enjoyed typing it. Well, hope to see a lot of reviews pouring in. If I got 6 for chapter 1, I'm probably gonna get more than that... I hope. Well, we'll see you with the next chapter from me, and be sure to check out my stories for "Detective Conan/Case Closed". I have 10 stories posted.)


	3. Meeting Akane's Folks

(Okay, here's the next chapter of "Akane's New Friend". I hope you all have enjoyed this so far. I'm sure you all have. Thanks to **Mii-ChanChan**, **Darkness Princess 2008**, **crusincloud**, **DiMeraslover**, **The Time Traveler**, and **Anon** for reviewing. Hope to get more reviews, but for now, 13 is pretty good. For now, just sit back, relax, and enjoy this chapter.)

Copyright 2008

"Well, hello there," Kasumi greeted when she saw me with Akane.

"Mathew, this is Kasumi; Kasumi, this is Mathew," Akane said to me. "She's the oldest of the family at 19... and also an expert cook."

"Akane, stop," Kasumi said, feeling a bit flushed.

"Well, you're a year younger than I am," I said to Kasumi. "I turned 20 last February."

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Kasumi asked me. "We're always glad to have guests over."

"Sure, that'd be great," I responded.

"So, when did you show up here in Nerima, Mathew?" Kasumi asked me.

"Actually, just a little over a week ago," I responded. "I got a deal to race motorcycles here in Japan -- Motocross and Supermoto."

"Interesting," Kasumi replied.

"We had a couple of soft drinks over it and he was telling me about them," Akane said to her.

"How nice," Kasumi said, smiling.

"Come on," Akane said to me, grabbing my wrist. "I'll show you around."

She took me all through her place and it didn't take me long to adjust to the settings here. I even met Nabiki, Ranma, and the rest of Akane's folks, but I did take a couple of extra looks at Nabiki after I met her.

"In case you're wondering, where I live is known as the 'Tendo's School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts'," Akane said to me after she had shown me her room.

We both were sitting in her room.

"That's pretty fancy," I said.

"Ranma is the heir of the school... if he marries me," Akane said to me.

"Is that going to happen?" I asked.

"Not really," We heard another voice say.

The voice turned out to be Ranma.

"It was all our own dumb parents' idea... and I sure as shootin' would not want to marry an uncute woman like her," Ranma said.

"I can't believe you'd say that about her," I said to Ranma.

"I can't believe you're actually serious when you say Akane is _cute_," Ranma snapped.

"Ranma," Akane said, steamed. "Can we please take a break from this uncute tomboy crap? I have a friend over and I don't want anything started in here."

"Yes, I'm serious that Akane's cute," I said to Ranma. "But in my book, she's a close 2nd place; there's only one other girl in here who actually is a little bit more cuter than her... if you're ever curious to find out."

Akane seemed surprised about it.

"Who's that?" Akane asked me.

"If I tell you, will you keep it secret until I say so?" I asked her.

"I guess so," Akane answered.

I brought her closer to me and whispered my answer in Akane's ear. When she heard it, she sounded surprised.

"Why do you like her?" Akane asked.

"Maybe because she's a 9.7 on a scale of 1-10 in my book?" I responded.

"Gee, if you like her _that_ much, maybe I should just tell her," Akane said to me.

"No don't," I said, trying to stop her.

"Ooooh, you like someone in this dojo, don't ya?" Ranma asked me.

"Unlike someone who treats his fiancee like she's not important," I said.

"Hey, do you have any idea of how much she never listens to me?" Ranma said. "Everything strange that happens to me, she always thinks the wrong way!!"

"Example please?" I said.

(Ranma's P.O.V.)

"Well," I explained to Mathew. "one time, I told my Pop that I was gonna go back to Jusenkyo to find a way to cure myself of this curse I'm under, and he went crazy about it... and, everyone overheard it and thought I was going back because of this idiot, Shampoo."

"Shampoo?" Mathew said.

"She's an Amazon from Jusenkyo who says we're supposed to marry each other after I kicked her butt with a first round knockout," I said. "But I'm not done yet: Akane, Kasumi, Nabiki, and even Kuno and Kodachi stepped in with their opinions; at least Kasumi and Nabiki were nice about it."

"Talk about personal," Mathew replied.

"You and me both," I said, crossing my arms.

"Who are those last two anyway?" Mathew asked.

"Kuno is an upperclassman at my high school, Furinkan High, and Kodachi's his idiot sister who says I'm her fiancee as well," I said.

"And... you don't want either Shampoo or Kodachi?" Mathew asked.

"Shoot no," I responded.

"You know what that reminded me of?" Mathew asked me.

"What's that?" I asked.

"That reminded me of 2008 Supercross Champ, Chad Reed," Mathew responded. "In celebration of his first Supercross title in 4 years, he was out enjoying a Jack Daniel's beer, and that causes a total uproar that he didn't even deserve one bit."

"So, how does that incident remind you of that Reed guy?" I asked.

"Put yourself in his shoes, but with your situation," Mathew said. "You decide to go back to Jusenkyo to get rid of your curse, and everyone comes in unexpectedly thinking it was for a different reason; that's why your situation reminds me of Chad Reed."

"Yeah, you're right," I said, now realizing what he said.

"What's it to them?" Mathew said. "It's not their business."

"Maybe I should've said that," I said.

"You mean you didn't say it?" Mathew asked me.

"No," I responded.

Then the door started to creak open. I thought it was either the freak or Akane and whomever it was that Mathew secretly liked. It turned out to be the freak.

"What are you doin' here?" I said.

"Ranma, why do you have to disturb an old man's duties? It's a bunch of disrespect," Happosai snapped.

"What's real disrespect is stealing Akane's underwear," I snapped back at him.

I turned to Mathew.

"Careful of this coot," I said to him. "This guy steals girl's underwear practically every single day and night."

"Ranma, cut that out and let me do my stuff," Happosai said, struggling to get free.

"Don't you ever get tired of this, you gross little cunt?" Mathew asked.

"I hope you didn't bring any girls with you, Mathew," I said to him.

"No, I came by myself," Mathew responded.

End chapter.

(Alright, here's the end of another chapter. Hope to see more reviews. I'd have updated a little sooner if my Grandma's computer's internet didn't go out for 9 whole days. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter. I'll try to update my other stories sooner.)


	4. Socializing at Akane's Place

(Okay, here's the next chapter for "Akane's New Friend". Sorry for the long wait... my grandma got a new computer lately, and I've been trying to come up with some stuff to put... not to mention getting wrapped up in my Fall semester of College, and just not knowing what to put down. Thanks to **Unknown 2008**, **2627adik**, **The Time Traveler**, **gen x**, **jdcocoagirl**, and **Akane and Ranma** for reviewing. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.)

Copyright 2008

"Geez, I hope you're right," Ranma said to me.

"I don't lie," I said. "I don't live too far away from you guys."

In the meanwhile, Ranma had disposed of Happosai and forced him out of Akane's bedroom. He and I followed and at the same time, Akane was just coming upstairs.

"Oh, you guys are coming," She said when she saw us. "Kasumi said dinner's ready."

After the three of us had joined the rest of the group, everyone else was pretty curious to my appearance here. After I had told them why I was here, they all were pretty impressed with the fact that I had decided to start my normal life in another place instead of my original hometown.

"Very interesting," Mr. Tendo commented.

"So, you're here for motorcycle races then," Nabiki assumed. "That's pretty unusual… is there anything unusual with you?" She asked me.

"Actually, there is," I responded. "I can… type faster than my mother – I type at least 50 w.p.m., while my mom types somewhere in the 40s, I'm always stared at by babies, and I'm one of very few (I think) video game veterans – I've been around games since I was three years old… and that's about it."

"Here you go," We all heard Kasumi say as she passed out the dinner she cooked.

"Thanks," I said to Kasumi. "I guess I should change my diet a little."

Everyone looked at me, surprised.

"Hey, I'm a little underweight," I said to them. "There's no reason to look at me shocked."

"Underweight?" Kasumi asked me.

"Mm-hmm," I responded. "I didn't crack a triple-digit number of pounds until age 15… basically because I didn't really eat; now I'm eating a bunch of meat practically every single day, and it's paid off since I grow ½ an inch every single time I eat it. Now, I'm 6' 1"… around there."

"Huh?!!" Everyone all said with dropped jaws, raised eyebrows and big eyes.

"Sad but true," I responded. "Or, whatever it is, depending on how you look at it."

"You're obviously someone who doesn't like to waste his time getting fat and overweight," Nabiki said to me. "I admire that… though I didn't expect you to say that you were underweight – I thought you were just past 100 lbs. from my best look at you."

"Gee thanks," I said to Nabiki with a hint of a blush on me. "I'm also someone who hasn't had one sip of alcohol or one cigarette all through his 20-year life span."

(A/n: I don't know if Nabiki and Kuno have a thing going on, but I'd very much appreciate it if someone said if they do or not.)

"That's an interesting way to put it," Ranma commented.

"Thanks," I said to Ranma. "I've always wanted to live until age 100, but I don't know if I'll be able to do that since I've been shot down with a lot of allergies and coughs lately."

"A time-taker, and a non-alcoholic and non-smoker," Akane commented.

"That's pretty much what I have to do if I want to live until age 100, even though that's 80 years away," I said to her. "The only thing now that I wonder is if I'll ever get away with these coughs, and allergies."

"I'm sure you will," Kasumi said to me.

"I hope so," I said to her.

In the meanwhile, I had just finished the food Kasumi served.

"So, what's with the giant panda in here?" I asked, trying to be polite about it.

(Nabiki's P.O.V.)

I thought that he would ask about Mr. Saotome eventually. Mathew seemed like an okay person to me. Takes things slow, doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, and his attitude was pretty straight-forward. I could tell he liked me since I saw that hint of blush on his face. To be honest, I liked his style… but I wasn't sure about him.

"That's actually my Dad," Ranma explained to Mathew.

"That big guy?" Mathew asked looking real shocked. "He was cursed too?"

"He's the real reason why I got cursed as well," Ranma proclaimed.

"He pushed you in?" Mathew guessed.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Ranma asked him.

"Lucky assumption," Mathew responded.

_Not only an okay person… but a sharp person,_ I thought.

"So, what's it like back where you live?" Daddy asked.

"Well, as of right now, we're in a bit of an economic crisis, which I don't really know about," Mathew responded. "But other than that, it's great there – lots of beaches, not a lot of distractions, lots of hotels – basically in Waikiki, etc."

"Maybe we should go there if we have that opportunity," Daddy said to us.

"Mm-hmm," Kasumi responded. "I must see what it's like there."

"Count me in," I added.

"I've gotta see it, too," Akane added.

"Mm-hmm," Mr. Saotome uttered, holding up a sign that translated to mean "I must see Hawaii as well."

"So, what's with the unique get-up you're wearing?" I asked Mathew.

"I knew someone would ask me that question," Mathew replied. "Since I've been a die-hard Supercross watcher since 1997, I've been making my own wardrobe of all of the Supercross racers like Chad Reed, Davi Millsaps, or this guy on the back, Trey Canard."

"You make that yourself?" I asked.

"Sure do," Mathew answered.

_Now that's something we don't see every day,_ I thought.

"Hey, Mathew," Akane spoke up. "If you aren't too busy a little later on, maybe you'd like to come with me and I'll show you around the town."

"Sure," Mathew answered.

"Maybe I'll go with you," I said to Akane.

End chapter.

(Okay, hope you all enjoyed this… I worked hard on this, even though I've been tied up for who knows how long and finally finished this. So, I better get a lot of reviews from people. I deserve them. If I don't get any, I must not be important to you guys anymore. So, please leave reviews. See you for now.)


	5. Akane & Nabiki Show Me Around

(Well, it's time for another story update. I'm now wondering why I haven't gotten many reviews lately from others since I updated the story – just 5 total reviews. Thanks to **The Time Traveler**, **Unknown 2008**, **James Birdsong**, **jdcocoagirl**, and **Akane112** for reviewing. Hopefully you all are enjoying it so far, and you'll continue reading until the end of this. Oh… and a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you out there.)

Copyright 2008

"Well, that'd be good," Akane answered.

"The more the merrier," I responded, honored to have Nabiki tagging along.

"I think you'll find where they show you around to your liking," Kasumi added.

"I'm sure I will," I responded to Kasumi.

"Make sure you pack some stuff in case you decide to stop somewhere," Soun reminded Akane and Nabiki.

"We will," Nabiki said.

"Exactly what I was going to say," I commented.

"Well, you heard him," Kasumi spoke up.

"You don't mind waiting, right?" Akane asked me.

"No, not at all," I responded not minding at all.

While the girls were upstairs getting their respective things, I waited for them to come back down so they could show me around Nerima.

"I say, son," Soun said to Ranma. "Not going with Akane?"

"Give me a break, Mr. Tendo," Ranma responded. "Where she goes is not my business."

Mr. Saotome held up a sign that translated to "She's your fiancée you know."

"Shut up," Ranma snapped.

"Almost like my folks," I replied. "My Mom's always hanging out with her friends, and my Dad occasionally does the same with his, and they only tell each other where they're going to hang out."

"Ready to go?" I heard a voice ask me.

That voice happened to be Akane's.

"We're set to go when you're set," Nabiki added.

"Have fun, you guys," Kasumi called out.

The three of us saw Mr. Saotome hold up a sign that translated to "And don't hurry back."

And with that, the girls and I left for the town to show me around the place.

(Akane's P.O.V.)

This wasn't something that I was accustomed to – showing somebody around a place. At least Nabiki was here to help me out if I were to get stuck or something.

"Hopefully you'll like it here," I said to Mathew.

"I'm sure I will," Mathew said to me.

Nabiki and I showed Mathew where Kasumi and sometimes one of us shops for our dinner, which was in the marketplace, but what was surprising was that Mathew mentioned that the marketplace felt like back in his hometown.

"This is where Nabiki and I go to school," I said to Mathew when we passed by our very own Furinkan High School.

"Not a bad looking place," Mathew commented, looking surprised.

"So, do you want us to show you around over here?" Nabiki asked Mathew.

"Well, that'd be nice," Mathew replied.

So, Nabiki and I took him around the school. We showed him where our classrooms were, the gymnasium, and even where the pool was. Afterwards, we headed away from the school to our favorite hangouts.

"This happens to be one of the best places to get something to eat," I said to Mathew when we passed by Ukyo's Okonomiyaki restaurant. "Not to mention this is where Ranma spends most of his time away from his training."

"What do you say we get a bite from here?" Nabiki suggested.

"Great idea, I'm a little hungry after this," I answered. "What about you, Mathew?" I asked him.

"Sure, I'll give it a try," Mathew answered.

When we walked inside, we saw Ukyo performing her Okonomiyaki skills at her usual amazing speed.

"Akane, Nabiki!!" Ukyo greeted, happy to see us.

That's when she noticed Mathew.

"Who's your new friend?" Ukyo asked.

"He just arrived in the neighborhood," I answered. "Ukyo, this is Mathew; Mathew, this is Ukyo."

(End Akane's P.O.V.)

"Nice to meet you," I said to Ukyo.

"Same here," Ukyo greeted. "Ukyo Kuonji, that's the name, Okonomiyaki's my game."

"So I heard," I said, taking a seat in between the girls. "What exactly is it?" I asked her.

"You've ever seen pizza?" Ukyo asked me.

"Yeah, I eat a lot of it," I answered.

"Same thing, only with Okonomiyaki batter and other things on it," Ukyo answered. "Trust me, sugar, you're gonna love this."

And with that being said, she put out some batter and started her cooking. I was really amazed at how fast Ukyo was working. In a matter of minutes, she was already finished.

"And you don't make a single mistake at that speed?" I asked her.

"Nope," Ukyo answered. "I've trained enough to be the best Okonomiyaki chef in Japan; besides, I'm accustomed to working at a fast pace."

"Now _that's_ speedy service," I said to the girls.

"Yep," Nabiki answered.

"Well, I hate keeping customers waiting," Ukyo pointed out. "especially Ranma-honey."

"They were previously engaged when Mr. Saotome left her behind," Akane whispered in my ear.

"There you go," Ukyo said, handing me her Okonomiyaki. "This one's on me, seeing as this is the first time you're trying this."

"Thanks," I said.

"Sure, hope you like it," Ukyo said.

After I took a bite of the Okonomiyaki, I looked into the sky while chewing it, and raised my eyebrows. I actually liked it.

"Hey, that was pretty good," I said.

"Glad you like it," Ukyo replied with a smile.

"By the way, I can relate to speed," I pointed out to Ukyo.

"Oh?" Ukyo said, looking interested.

"Except it's not for cooking," I continued. "My Mom used to type at a fast speed, and since I kind of 'inherited' her speed, I can type on a computer around 40… 50 words per minute; my Mom types around 30 or 40 words per minute."

"Interesting," Ukyo commented.

"I'll ask you the same thing," I said to Ukyo. "How fast can YOU type, Ukyo?"

"Well, I don't spend a lot of time on a computer," Ukyo said. "So, I can't really answer that question."

"Now that's a shame… you look like someone who could type around my speed… maybe close to it," I said.

"Well," Ukyo started to say while making another Okonomiyaki. "I wouldn't say that I'm _that_ fast a typer."

She handed Nabiki another one since she had requested for another.

End of chapter.

(Okay, that's going to do for another chapter. Hope you guys liked this one. I'll try to update sooner, seeing as I am starting to get ideas in me little by little.)


	6. Some Fun Before Going Back

(Alright, it's time for another story update to "Akane's New Friend". I've been trying to think of ideas to put, and I had an unfortunate accident on 1/24/2009 and dislocated my shoulder off of my dirt bike… so, I'm on the sidelines for at least a month or so. In the meanwhile, let's go to work and get back to the story. Thanks to **James Birdsong** for reviewing. Hopefully I'll get more than one review for this chapter. In the meanwhile, get a snack, read, relax, and enjoy this chapter.)

Copyright 2008

After Nabiki had finished her okonomiyaki, which was also on Ukyo, we bid her good-bye and headed outside.

"Now that was some good stuff," I said to the girls.

"Mm-hmm," Akane said. "Ukyo's okonomiyaki is pretty good – we've had her stuff for dinner on occasions."

"Maybe I should if I'm on an off-weekend," I said.

"Speaking of which," Nabiki said. "How often are your races?"

"Well," I started to say. "My boss said around two to three times a month… maybe 4."

"Okay, so, does that mean you're going to be spending most of your time racing here, then heading back to your hometown?" Nabiki asked me.

"Not exactly," I responded. "4 races a month… is once in a while, and when the summertime comes around, I'll be switching from a motocross bike, to a Supermoto bike, and at the end of the summer, my team's going to be off for the rest of the year."

"Is that how you're going to support yourself?" Akane asked.

"Mm-hmm," I answered. "It doesn't look like a good way, but I found out that either way, I'm getting paid a pretty good amount of money… as long as I put in good performances."

"Okay," Akane responded. "Come to think of it… if we let you stay with us, would you happen to donate some of your money to us if we're in some financial trouble and we can't afford any food?"

"Oh yeah, definitely," I responded. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, we went through that once… with Ranma and Mr. Saotome, and Happosai as the 3 freeloaders in our house," Akane answered.

"I see," I answered. "Let's just hope that they pull their own weight."

"What do you mean?" Akane asked.

"You know… help out?" I said.

"They do," Akane answered.

"In the meantime," Nabiki spoke up. "Who's up for a nice dip?" She asked us.

"Shoot," I said. "I left my shorts at home… so, I might have to pass up on the offer, but I still want to come along."

Akane, on the other hand, remained silent. I noticed Nabiki leaning in to whisper something in my ear.

"She can't swim," She whispered in my ear.

"Nabiki!!" Akane said to her. "Don't tell me you told him…"

"Whoops, I let the cat out of the bag," Nabiki said to her.

"It isn't anything to be ashamed of," I said to Akane.

"I know that," Akane said. "I just… hope to learn it someday; I tried learning with the Principal at our school… didn't go so well."

"I'm still surprised you won with 5 or 6 water tubes over your body," Nabiki answered.

"Nabiki!!" Akane said again.

"Okay, let's try not to start anything here," I said, trying to break it all up.

"Forget it," Akane said. "She's right after all…"

"You know," I said. "I happen to know how… and I could teach you one day, if you want."

"There's your golden opportunity," Nabiki said to Akane.

"Maybe," Akane said.

(Nabiki's P.O.V.)

In the meanwhile, we had arrived at the pool and I had changed to my purple one-piece bathing suit with a choker around my neck and I was having fun in the water. Akane and Mathew on the other hand, were sitting at a table. Mathew was in his regular clothes, while Akane had changed to her one-piece orange bathing suit. I swam up to one of the edges and looked over at the two. Mathew was working on a word search puzzle, and Akane was just watching me swim.

"You know, it'd be more fun if someone were to join me," I said to the two of them.

"Well I would," Mathew responded. "If I had known you were going to come here."

Akane didn't say a word.

"Akane," I said to her.

"I know what you want, Nabiki," Akane said to me. "Someone to join… well, I'm not sure if you're going to get it."

"Maybe you should give it a shot," Mathew said to her. "It can't be that bad if you're being taught by Nabiki… can it?"

"I also need that company," I added. "And… you're the only one who's dressed for it, Akane."

"She's right about that," Mathew said. "What have you got to lose?"

"Nabiki, people swim in clothes," Akane replied back.

"I kind of see it wrong," Mathew chimed in. "Unless it's their only option; me, I'd prefer not to ruin my get-up."

"Plus, Akane," I added. "You're not in clothes – you're in a bathing suit. So, what exactly are you waiting for? Someone to show up with clothes for you to swim in?"

Akane sat down on her knees to where I was floating in the pool.

"Nabiki, I hope you're not pressuring me into this," She said to me.

"Akane," I said. "Why would I be pressuring you into learning how to swim?"

"Exactly," Mathew added, backing up my question. "The only way to learn how is to do it; sitting around not doing it isn't going to get the job done."

Akane looked at him, and then looked back at me.

"He's right, you know," I said, supporting what Mathew said to her. "It's not like you're going to lose your life."

"Yeah… I guess so," Akane said, sheepishly, and looking downwards.

She got up from where she was sitting on and stood on her feet. Akane brushed off the asphalt that had gotten on her knees and got close to the edge of the pool. She started squatting down and dipping her feet into the water. The water was up to her legs when she had put them in. She took a deep breath, and pushed herself into the water. Afterwards, I grabbed her arms and her back side was above the water, while her front side… save for her head, was immersed in the water.

End of chapter.

(Well, that's going to do it for this chapter. I'm sure you all weren't expecting something like this to happen in the story. I hope you all liked this, and I sure as heck hope to see more reviews for this story, now that I have updated it. Now, if you would be so kind… please hit the review this story/chapter icon down below you and please type in your thoughts. I'm eager to see them. See you next time.)


	7. Back at the Dojo

(Alright, everyone… it's time for the 7th chapter of "Akane's New Friend." At the end of the last chapter, Nabiki was trying to talk Akane into learning how to swim… and the fact that she needed some company. Is this finally Akane's time to where she finally learns how to swim? Read to find out. Thanks to **James Birdsong**, and **jdcocoagirl** for reviewing. Hope you all will enjoy this next chapter. I don't know how long this story is going to be… so, be sure to keep checking my profile page or the "Ranma ½" Community for updates.)

Copyright 2008

(Nabiki's P.O.V.)

I held Akane's body while she was floating above.

"Come on, Akane, kick up and down with your legs," I said to her.

"This reminds me of when I was learning how to swim in my hometown," Mathew said from the deck.

"How is that?" I asked him.

"Well, that's what I had forgotten when I had to jump in… use my legs," Mathew answered.

In the meanwhile, I decided to try to see if Akane could swim without my assistance.

"Akane, do you think you can do it without me holding you?" I asked her.

"Worth a shot," Mathew said from the sidelines.

"I can try," Akane answered.

"Use your arms to move," I said to her.

As I released her body, I watched to see if Akane got the hang of swimming. After struggling at first, she started using her arms and her legs and she finally got the hang of it. She was able to swim to the pool ladder and back to me.

"I think you got it," I said to her.

"That was pretty quick," Mathew said.

"Yeah, I guess I figured out how to do it," Akane said.

She sure did – instead of waving her arms in the air, Akane was actually floating in front of me.

"I'm surprised that someone who knows how to do martial arts like yourself, doesn't know how to swim," Mathew said to her.

"Why does it surprise you?" I asked him.

"I'm not sure," Mathew said. "It just does; I guess you're the first person that I've heard of who doesn't know how to swim."

After that, I had challenged Akane to a small race to the pool ladder and back; she had accepted. We had gotten ready, and I had taken off with an early lead, but she was right behind me. When we had gotten back to where we started from, I had beaten her by a considerable amount.

"I can understand your loss," I said to Akane. "Seeing as this WAS your first time actually swimming."

"Yeah, though I did come close," Akane said back to me.

"You did," I said, agreeing with her.

"Doesn't it feel good now?" Mathew asked Akane.

"Mm-hmm," Akane answered.

"Well, should we think about heading back now?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think we should," Akane answered.

After Mathew handed us our towels, we had gone back to the changing rooms and changed out of our soaking wet bathing suits. After we had grabbed our change of clothes, Akane and I turned our backs so we wouldn't see each other naked… although we were both girls… and it was the girls' changing room.

"So, what do you think of him?" I asked Akane.

"Who – Mathew?" Akane asked.

"Yeah," I answered.

"He's okay," Akane answered. "He's definitely not like the Principal at Furinkan."

"You said it," I responded.

In the meanwhile, we had just put our clothes back on and left the changing rooms. Mathew was waiting outside for us and we started heading back.

(Akane's P.O.V.)

"Hope you had some fun," I said to Mathew.

"You bet I did," Mathew responded. "Even if we went somewhere where I couldn't join in your fun… who cares… doesn't matter to me."

"Mathew," I said to him. "There's something we wanted to ask you."

"Oh really?" Mathew asked. "What's that?"

"Well…" I started. "Nabiki and I were talking about what the both of us thought of you while we were changing… and we were wondering… what do YOU think about me and Nabiki?"

"Well, like I said about you, Akane – you ARE pretty cute to me… just that it's too bad for me that you're already engaged," Mathew explained. "As for Nabiki… she strikes me as the interesting, calm, feet-to-the-ground, sweet type… somebody that's to my liking."

_Someone to his liking, huh?_ I thought.

I knew I was right from the beginning – Mathew was falling for Nabiki.

"Don't you see it, Nabiki?" I whispered to my sister. "He's falling for you."

"Hmm?" Nabiki said, unaware of this.

So, since you said I'm an 8.9 on a scale of 1-10," I said to Mathew. "How would you rate Nabiki?" I asked him.

Mathew looked at Nabiki and she winked and smiled at him.

"Probably the same as you – 8.9," Mathew answered.

_Both of us – 8.9 to him…_ I thought. _What about Kasumi? But then again, Dr. Tofu's already got a thing for her._

In the meanwhile, Nabiki, Mathew and I had arrived home.

"We're home," I called out to Kasumi.

"Oh, back already?" Kasumi asked.

"Mm-hmm," I responded.

"And how'd you like it?" Kasumi asked Mathew.

"Was great… this place is really interesting," Mathew responded.

"How did the girls explain everywhere?" Kasumi asked him.

"Really good," Mathew said, raising his eyebrows.

"So, where'd you guys go?" Kasumi asked us.

"Well, over to our school, Ukyo's restaurant, the market, plus we took a side trip to the pool," I responded.

"The pool was my idea," Nabiki spoke up.

"How nice," Kasumi said, smiling.

In the meanwhile, Dad had just arrived where we were.

"Oh, you all are back," Dad said to us.

"Sure are, Dad," I said.

"We gave him a very good tour of the place," Nabiki added.

"You guys arrived at a good time," Kasumi spoke up. "I just finished making dinner… Ranma and Mr. Saotome are already having their shares."

After we had just joined the two at the table, Kasumi made us our shares of dinner, but we had run into a small problem because Mathew had admitted that he didn't know how to use chopsticks. Kasumi tried to teach him how, but he just couldn't pick up even a grain of rice.

(Kasumi's P.O.V.)

"Hmm… what does he do now, Kasumi?" Akane asked.

"Oh, I think I have something for him," I said.

I had gone into the kitchen and came back with a fork for Mathew.

"Only in the case of emergencies," I casually said, handing it to him.

"Thank you," Mathew said.

When he started eating his food, we noticed that he was using his left hand instead of his right.

"Hey, I didn't know you were left-handed," Ranma said to him.

"It's only natural," Mathew replied. "My Mom's left-handed as well."

"None of us here are left-handed," I pointed out.

"Figured so," Mathew responded. "Except… studies say that left-handed people are said to have the upper edge in fights, and are less likely to get Alzheimer's than right-handed people."

"How'd you know that?" Father asked him.

"I read about it somewhere," Mathew answered. "It's true… but although Ranma here – I'm presuming is right-handed… could probably beat me in a first-round knockout."

"Of course, I could," Ranma protested.

"There you go," Mathew said. "Simply because of one thing: I don't do martial arts myself."

"So, does that mean that the rest of us are going to get this Alzheimer's later in life?" I asked Mathew.

"Not necessarily," Mathew said. "Though I'm not sure, but you guys seem young… so, as of right now, you're all fine – unlike my 73-year-old Grandma, who sometimes goes to certain places, but forgets what she came there for."

"Yikes… that's a disturbing thought," Nabiki said.

After everyone had finished their dinner, I took their bowls to the sink and started washing them. As usual, I was humming a tune to myself while I washed them. When I had finished and put the dishes away to dry, I looked behind me to see that Mathew was standing there.

"Oh?" I said, suddenly noticing him.

"Kasumi, can I talk to you for a minute?" Mathew asked. "Unless you were in the middle of something…"

"Oh no, not at all," I said. "I just finished the dishes. What is it you want to talk to me about?"

Mathew had led me away from the kitchen right outside next to the phone.

"Kasumi, I…" Mathew tried to say. "I, uh… I…"

"What is it?" I asked.

End chapter.

(Okay, we're going to take a break here, and I'll leave you to figure out why I called on Kasumi. Now, hit "review this story/chapter" down below this text and type in those thoughts.


	8. The Explanation

(Well, it is time for my next chapter of "Akane's New Friend." You will now find out what I was going to say to Kasumi, which was where we left off at the end of the last chapter. I sure expect to see a lot of reviews… because a pairing will be coming up soon in the story… I just don't know when. Thanks to **jdcocoagirl**, and **James Birdsong** for reviewing. Come on, I really hope to see more than just two people reviewing… I hope that there are more people out there who are willing to read my work. Anyway, let's get on with the story, shall we?)

Copyright 2008

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Kasumi asked me.

I had worked up the guts to tell her what I was going to say.

"I… uh… I don't know how to thank you," I finally blurted out. "I never thought I would be meeting anyone like you or Akane… or Nabiki for that matter."

"We're always kind to Akane's friends," Kasumi told me. "Even if we haven't seen that person like you before… or if we have seen that person before."

I took a look at Kasumi… someone a year younger than me who was such a nice person. I admit – I'm pretty nice myself, but I never thought that someone like her would treat her guests this way.

"I never thought that I would be treated like this," I said to her.

She seemed pretty uncertain of what I was going to do next. I pulled her closer to me and started to hug her, gently patting her back a few times while I hugged her. After a minute, I let her go and released my embrace.

"Let me get real here for a sec," I said to her. "Is there any way that I can repay you?" I asked.

"Well," Kasumi said. "You don't have to repay me… just seeing you happy with our hospitality is all I need. It must be tough living by yourself… so why don't you move in with us?"

"You really don't have to offer me such a nice thing," I said to her. "I just don't want to be a burden of trouble or anything."

"Really, it's no trouble to us at all," Kasumi said to me.

"Are you sure?" I asked her.

"Mm-hmm," Kasumi answered with a smile.

"I know you're not going to regret that," I said, feeling sure of myself.

I grabbed Kasumi's hand and kissed the top of it.

(Kasumi's P.O.V.)

I was really surprised that Mathew had just hugged me and now, he was kissing my hand like a gentleman. I felt like a lady who was getting absolute respect from someone whom had been introduced to me by Akane just a few hours ago. What I _didn't_ realize was that he was still kissing my hand numerous amounts of times. To make matters worse, Father had came here. Amazingly, Mathew happened to have overheard his footsteps and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, this is pretty awkward," Mathew said to Father. "It's not what you think, Mr. Tendo... I just wanted to talk to Kasumi."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Father replied.

I don't think he believed him.

"I saw what you were doing to my Kasumi," Father continued. "And there isn't going to be any way in which you're going to get her. She would not make the most 'perfect' husband – she's hard in the head."

"Why, Father!!" I gasped at what he just said about me.

"Just so you know," Mathew said to him. "I only wanted to say thanks to her for your hospitality… I think she just offered me to move in with you."

"I did," I responded to Father.

I didn't deny what I just said to Mathew. I knew it must be tough living by himself, so I thought he might like it if he stays here… seeing as he just arrived here – according to himself.

"Wait… am I the only one who thinks it's strange that she's letting someone we've just met, move in with us?" Father asked me.

"Father, think of him," I said to him. "He lives by himself… one wonders how someone can go about; I think he can handle it, but since he was nice to the girls, I thought it would be a nice thing for him and he's free to leave whenever he wants to."

"I appreciate the offer, Kasumi," Mathew said to me. "I'm getting my stuff from my place; I don't live far away from you."

"Uh, hold on," Father said, stopping him.

"Hey, just so you know," Mathew said to Father. "Am I interested in Kasumi? Not really… she's sweet and all, but… I'm kind of leaning towards another one."

"How nice," I said, smiling and feeling happy for Mathew.

The only thing that I wondered which girl he was falling for was… who? Was it Akane, Nabiki, or someone else outside of our home? I wasn't the type of girl to pry into his personal thoughts, so I just let it go. Besides, it was rude after all…

"Uh, Kasumi," Father said. "What were you two doing when I happened to walk in?"

"Well, I was washing the dishes, and when I finished, that's when I saw Mathew there and he said he wanted to talk to me," I began. "He said he wanted to thank me for the hospitality, and he asked me if there was any way he could make it up to me; you wouldn't believe how he treats girls – he kissed my hand, and he hugged me, too."

Father couldn't believe what he just heard.

"He WHAT?!!" He said to me. "Hugged you and kissed your hand? He must be after you!!"

"Father, didn't you hear him?" I said, feeling like I wasn't heard from. "He is interested in someone else… I'm thinking it might be Nabiki or Akane… but I could be wrong."

"Not a chance on Akane," Father said at the top of his voice.

"You know I could hear you just after I came back," A voice said.

I knew that voice – Mathew was back with his things.

"Well, there's our new guest," I said, moving past Father.

(End Kasumi's P.O.V.)

"Sorry about that," Kasumi said to me. "Father's a little… uptight about me letting you stay here."

"So I see," I responded.

In the meanwhile, Kasumi had shown me to a room that was near their training hall.

"This'll be where you stay," She said to me. "And, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like."

"Oh, Mathew's staying?" I heard a voice say.

The one who said that happened to be Akane.

"I offered him to," Kasumi answered. "I found out he lives by himself and I thought it must be hard, even though he's only been here a week… so, I decided to offer him to stay here."

"Well, that's a nice thought," Akane commented. "Despite the fact that's one more freeloader in here."

"Hey, at least I promised her she wouldn't regret it," I responded.

"He wanted to make it up to me for the hospitality we gave him; I said he didn't have to, but he insisted on doing it," Kasumi explained.

End of chapter.

(Alright, we'll stop here for now. Hope I get a lot more than 2 reviews for this chapter, as well as my other ones. I really deserve them because I work hard on these. Hope you enjoyed it and just wait patiently for updates. More will come when my Spring Semester of College is done in about 6 weeks.)


	9. The New Guest

(Okay, everybody, it's now time for my next chapter of "Akane's New Friend." For once, I actually got 2 different people reviewing chapter 8, but still, it's only 2 people… I need more if you want me to update... I really would appreciate it if you readers would just review instead of just reading. Thanks to **Unknown 2008** and **jdcocoagirl** for reviewing. I would very much like more people to review this chapter as well as the other ones. Hope I'll get more. For now, just sit back, and enjoy.)

Copyright 2008

"Really, Mathew, you don't have to do this," Kasumi explained. "Just a little help is fine with me."

"No, no, no," Mathew insisted. "You're letting me stay here, I feel like I should help out."

"That's sweet of you," Kasumi responded. "But I don't want it to lead to a point to where Nabiki and Akane start getting too jealous or anything."

"Well," Mathew said. "I'd hate to make some people – especially girls look bad."

"Well, I sure hope you don't do it too much," Akane mentioned.

"Hey, I want to help as much as possible if I'm being offered to stay here," I responded.

Afterwards, I went into the room where Kasumi said I could stay and she helped me unpack my stuff.

"So, I'm hearing there's a girl you like immediately," Kasumi said to me.

"Mm-hmm," I responded, not feeling too ashamed about it this time.

"So, is it someone in here, or outside of our dojo?" Kasumi asked me.

"Really wanna know, huh?" I said to Kasumi.

"Well, if it's too embarrassing for you to tell," Kasumi replied.

I wondered if she knew that it was Nabiki that I was taking a liking to… Kasumi was nice and all, even nicer than I am… hands down, but I sort of thought that she was a tiny bit less attractive than Nabiki... not by much though – she would make for a perfect bride to someone. In a matter of minutes, Kasumi and I were finally finished with my unpacking.

"Thanks for the help," I said to Kasumi.

"Mm-hmm," Kasumi responded.

We had both gone down the stairs after that.

"Guess I'd better hang the laundry," I heard Kasumi speak up.

"Can I help?" I asked to her.

"Well of course," Kasumi responded with a smile.

With that being said, we had both headed outside where she usually hung the clothes out. I noticed she had about 4 or 5 bonsai plants near them.

"Wow, my sister would want one of these in her room," I said as I took a look at them.

"Really?" Kasumi asked. "That'd be a good plant – I believe it's said to bring good luck to that person."

Right after that, Kasumi and I resumed the laundry. She did the washing while I hung them on the clothesline. Once the laundry got down to the very last few, I offered to finish it out for her.

"Oh, no, I'll take care of it," Kasumi responded. "You really don't have to offer such a thing."

"No, I insist," I responded. "I saw how you washed the clothes; besides, it's only a few more that's left… and I've got energy to burn, so it's no trouble, Kasumi."

(Kasumi's P.O.V.)

I didn't think that Mathew was offering such a nice thing. For some reason, I thought he was thinking to himself, "Go on, you probably deserve a little time," or something like that.

"Alright, you finish up," I said, finally giving in to Mathew's desires.

I started walking away from him and back into the dojo.

"For some reason, I feel a little guilty on it," I said to myself. "But I can't help but wonder if he really wants to let me have a break or something…"

That was what was taking over my thoughts the entire time. But on the upside, I did have some free time coming up after the laundry was hung out to dry. Inside I thanked him for finishing up for me.

"Well, with this spare time now, I'm not sure what to do," I said to myself as I headed to my room.

Instead I left for the bathroom for a towel and sunscreen. I then returned to my room and headed for my dresser drawers. I pulled out my pink one-piece strapless swimsuit.

"I haven't done this in a pretty long while," I said to myself.

I quickly changed out of my regular clothes into my swimsuit. I made myself some tea and headed outside. I set down my towel and lay on it. I knew I wasn't at the beach or anything, but this did save me the trip.

"Wow, this is a new sight, Kasumi," I heard a soft voice say.

The voice turned out to be Nabiki's.

"Oh, what are you out here for, Nabiki?" I asked.

"Mathew doing your work?" Nabiki asked me as I sat up.

"Finishing up," I responded. "He insisted he'd finish up the laundry for me. I couldn't really say 'no' to such a sweet offer."

"So, is there an explanation to why you're out here like that?" Nabiki asked me.

"Just some free time for now," I responded.

"Just finished," I heard a voice say.

The voice turned out to be Mathew's.

"Thank you, Mathew," I sweetly responded.

I turned my head to Nabiki.

"I offered him to stay with us," I said to her.

"Great, guess we gotta enroll you at Furinkan," Nabiki said.

"Don't have to," Mathew responded. "I'm _done_ with school."

"I knew you were," I responded. "Seeing as you _are_ older than me."

I kind of had a gut feeling that Mathew already finished school where he previously lived before he came to Nerima for his motorcycle racing career.

"What's going on?" I heard another voice say.

That voice was Akane's.

"Akane, what brings you outside?" I asked.

"Just wondering where everyone is," Akane responded.

That's when she noticed that I was dressed in my swimsuit and sitting on my towel.

(Akane's P.O.V.)

"What's the occasion, Kasumi?" I asked our oldest sister. "Why are you out here lying on a towel and in your bathing suit?"

"Oh, Mathew offered to wrap up the laundry for me," Kasumi responded. "I told him he didn't have to, but he insisted on finishing it up for me. So, that gave me free time… and, I decided to come out here and sunbathe for a change."

"That's a pretty unusual change because you usually don't do this," I said to her.

"I know," Kasumi responded. "Though I can't help but feel a little guilty about leaving Mathew to finish up the laundry."

"You don't have to feel that way, Kasumi," Mathew responded. "It wasn't a bit of trouble at all to me."

"I'm glad you think so," Kasumi responded to him.

_He's interested in Nabiki, but he's insisting on helping Kasumi_? I thought.

"Mathew, can I ask you something?" I asked Mathew.

"Uh, sure, what?" Mathew said to me.

I pulled him away from Kasumi and Nabiki so they wouldn't hear what I was going to ask him.

End of chapter.

(Okay, I'll leave you to figure out what Akane was going to ask me. And I'll leave you to figure out what is going to happen next… but it will happen if I get more than two reviews for this chapter. And I really feel like I deserve them because I work hard to make these chapters, and having two people review only makes me feel a little bummed in a way, so please review, and get others that you know to review this work. Alright, I'll see you with my next update.)


	10. Answers All Around

(Well, it's now time for me to update "Akane's New Friend." When we last left off, Akane had just pulled me away from Kasumi and Nabiki to ask me something, and you're about to find out what she was going to ask me. BTW, near the end of the last part, I kind of knew that Kasumi was a bit out of character, action-wise, but I tried to keep her personality intact. I felt like I did that. Well, anyways, thanks to **Mii-ChanChan**, **goddess-training**, **Kobold Taskmaster**, and **jdcocoagirl** for reviewing. Now, that's what I'm talking about – more than two people reviewing, and I would very much like to see that for the future chapters that I post. In the meanwhile, hopefully you will sit back and enjoy this next chapter.)

Copyright 2008

(Akane's P.O.V.)

"What do you want, Akane?" Mathew asked me.

I heard what he said to me, but as soon as I reached my bedroom, then I tended to his answer.

"Okay," I said after I closed the door. "I wanna know why you're interested in Nabiki, but you're hanging all around Kasumi."

"Hey, I'm only trying to pull my own weight around here if Kasumi's letting me stay with you guys," Mathew responded.

"But I thought you were falling for Nabiki," I said to him.

"I am," Mathew spoke up. "But if I'm offered to stay at a girl's house, I feel like if I pull my own weight, maybe she'll think of it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Maybe it's because I like giving girls like you and Kasumi… as well as Nabiki an equal amount of help," Mathew responded.

"Like… me?" I asked, surprised with what he said.

My face turned red and I felt my nerves going to a full maximum speed set on high.

"Yes, girls like you," Mathew responded. "You don't have to be so embarrassed about it."

This was a huge surprise compared to the guys at Furinkan High… especially Kuno; Mathew knew how to treat girls right… unlike all the others in which they were all after me – even when I still had my hair down to my upper back, until they all accepted my "engagement" to Ranma.

"Is this how you ALWAYS treat girls to your liking?" I asked.

"Oh, maybe…" Mathew responded with a little bit of a look similar to Ranma when he wasn't bothered by anything.

I saw a resemblance of Ranma in a way when it came to girls. He wasn't like Kuno, who always demanded a date with me, and I always said "no" but wouldn't give up.

"Is that all you wanted to know?" Mathew asked me.

"Well," I started to say.

"Nabiki is going to have the same treatment and you too… if that's where you're going at," Mathew inputted.

"Not especially, but—" I was about to say before my door was opened.

It turned out to be none other than Grandfather Happosai.

"What are YOU doing in here?" I asked when he stepped in.

"Aww, you're in your room… with HIM?!!" Happosai reacted when he saw Mathew.

"Don't you have anything better to do than steal her panties, cunt?!" Mathew spoke up.

I couldn't believe that Mathew just called Happosai a "cunt." I had been so used to hearing Ranma calling him "freak", "lecher", and "pervert." This was the very first time that I heard Happosai being called by a different term.

"And another one like Ranma who shows no respect for elders," Happosai declared.

"Hey, shut up," Mathew said. "I have my respect for MY OWN elders, but not for someone who goes around stealing women's lingerie… you think you would've learned by now."

"I agree, Happosai," I said, supporting what Mathew previously said.

"But how will I go on without stealing women's underwear?" Happosai responded, his voice cracking and breaking into tears.

"You'll go on…" Mathew responded.

I wasn't so sure about that.

"He needs those so he can last longer," I said to him.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Mathew said to me.

"Trust me, I wish I was," I said to him. "Especially since he steals my own underwear and everyone else's, except for Nabiki's and Kasumi's… at least, I'm sure of it."

(Ranma's P.O.V.)

I had just finished a good meal and workout that Kasumi made when she came inside. As I walked past Akane's room, I heard a male voice in there… it sounded like the freak was in there.

"Not a chance!!" I heard Akane's voice say.

I decided to take a peek inside to see if it really was the freak.

"Ah-ha!!" I proclaimed after seeing the freak in her room.

"Ranma, why must you butt in?" Akane shouted at me.

"Come on, Akane," I said to her. "I was just walking by and happened to overhear this little parasite running his mouth, and it sounded like you wanted to kick him out."

I had picked up Happosai and was heading towards Akane's desk, which overlooked the sky.

"Ranma, put me down!!" Happosai demanded.

"No can do, Gramps," I responded. "I need to keep you from getting Akane any angrier."

And with that, I threw Happosai into the sky as hard as I could.

"That takes care of him," I said, dusting my hands off.

That's when I noticed that Mathew was in the same room as Akane.

"Hey, what are you doin' in Akane's room?" I asked, trying not to be mean about it.

"Well," Mathew started to say. "Let's just say she wanted to ask me something on Nabiki I guess."

"You like Nabiki?" I asked, looking surprised about it.

"Yeah, why?" Mathew asked.

"Trust me," I said to him. "Nabiki's some kind of girl to like, you know. I had her as my new fiancée and it was a nightmare – especially after I found out she was toying with me the entire time."

"That must've sucked," Mathew responded.

"Oh yeah," I responded. "It was total torture… what was worse was Akane getting so upset over it."

"What caused it anyway?" Mathew asked.

This was strange… he sounded like a Psychiatrist or something.

"Uh… Akane broke her balcony with a simple punch to the ground, after I tried apologizing to her over something I didn't know what I did… then, I rescued Nabiki after Akane reacted to the fall, she said 'we're finished'."

"Okay, that part, you did right," Mathew responded. "That part being rescuing Nabiki after Akane reacted to the fall – she must've known Nabiki didn't know how to react to one; plus, I don't see any way someone can hold two girls at once… so, that's probably what caused Akane to think the other way instead."

"You read me like a book," I said. "I saved Nabiki, and that's how she thanked me."

"That's unbelievable," Mathew responded. "I thought for sure, she'd be relieved that Nabiki was saved."

"I was," Akane spoke up. "I just went too far after thinking about it a few times."

"Yeah… _way_ too far," Mathew said.

"I don't remember you having a kind of Psychiatry Degree," Akane spoke up again.

"Well, I don't," Mathew said. "But I'm pretty good at reading someone's mindset when they're wrongfully blamed."

I felt surprised that Mathew was that good at reading someone's mind when they're wrongfully blamed… if only he had come when Akane was placing blame on me for everything that happened.

"Maybe I could be saved from a hit to the head from Akane with you," I said to Mathew.

"Well, I'll see what I can do, Ranma," Mathew responded. "Just let me know if there's any kind of situation where you're wrongfully blamed by Akane or someone else."

"Will do," I responded.

Finally, I found someone who can actually stick up for me so I won't have to be wrongfully accused of something I never did to Akane. Shortly after that, I happened to hear the door open again. It turned out to be Nabiki.

"Hey there," Nabiki called out. "I'm going to go out for tennis – anyone wanna come along?"

End chapter.

(Okay, that's going to do it once again. Well, how'd you like it? I'm anxious to hear your thoughts… so, click on "Review this story/chapter" and type in those thoughts… I really want a lot of reviews if I'm going to continue again. And be sure to check out **Mii-ChanChan**'s classic story "Royal Love" when you all can… if you haven't checked it out yet. I think it's a classic myself. Anyway, I hope to see a bunch of reviews from people before I continue on with updates and hopefully, I'll come up with new ideas soon for another story. Bye for now.)


	11. From Questions and Answers to Tennis

(Well, everyone, it's now time for me to update my Ranma story. So far, there are only a couple of weeks left in my semester before a nice summer off, which you will hopefully see more updates to my other stories. I have gotten a considerable number of reviews since I updated, and that's a great thing to see. I sure hope to see a lot more. In the meanwhile, thanks to **jdcocoagirl**, **Mii-ChanChan**, **vleroy728**, **James Birdsong**, **Scourgeofthegalaxy**, and **The Time Traveler** for reviewing. For now, hopefully you will enjoy the 11th chapter of this story, and keep checking my profile page for another couple of stories, one that has to do with everyone's favorite couple… which I'll leave you to figure out. For now, just sit back and enjoy chapter 11 of "Akane's New Friend.")

Copyright 2008

(Akane's P.O.V.)

"I think I'm gonna be up for it," I spoke up.

I looked at Mathew and he was drumming his fingers on his other hand.

"Nabiki, can you give us a few minutes?" I asked her.

I pulled Mathew away to tell him.

"Come on, Mathew," I said to him. "This is your big chance to show Nabiki something!"

"Yeah… I suppose," Mathew said, feeling a little sheepish about it.

I just had to get Mathew and Nabiki together – I just _had_ to! This was the perfect opportunity for him.

I went to get my tennis outfit while Mathew waited with Nabiki. I looked for it in my closet and found it a couple of minutes later.

"Okay, I'm set," I said as I got out.

I had come out with my tennis outfit on my body, and I was holding socks in my hand.

"Well, is everyone ready?" I asked.

"Yep," Nabiki answered.

"I'm set," Mathew answered. "Though I've never played tennis before… just when I was in high school as the certain sport we were playing for a week."

"Which sports do you do other than motocross?" Nabiki asked.

"Um… I used to play basketball," Mathew answered.

"Any others?" I asked.

"Uh, I think that's about it," Mathew said, laughing nervously.

"That's it?" I asked.

"I played football once when I was 10, but I broke my left arm of all things," Mathew answered. "I haven't played it since then… not counting high school gym class where it was 'flag football'."

"What about the others like volleyball or soccer?" Nabiki asked.

"Only did those sports when I was in high school," Mathew answered.

"Now that's something you don't see everyday… someone who's only interested in one sport," Nabiki said.

"Hey, I've been doing motocross since I was 8," Mathew answered. "I wouldn't do any other sport, had it not been for me liking basketball when I was younger."

We were already walking downstairs to where our shoes were. When we reached them, we put them on and started heading for the nearest tennis court.

"Usually, I hit the courts early seeing as that's the only court time that I can get… but since I'm going back with a couple others, I suppose a 2nd trip can't really hurt," Nabiki said to us.

"She usually does this?" Mathew leaned in to ask me.

"Everyday," I leaned in to answer him. "Just like how I get up at 6 a.m. each morning for a jog around the neighborhood."

"Wow," Mathew said to me. "I used to be a morning person, but only on school days – where I would sometimes wake up somewhere in the 5 a.m. hour."

(Nabiki's P.O.V.)

I was still a little surprised that Mathew wasn't a sports person like how Akane and I were – Akane with her martial arts, Mathew with his Supercross thing, and me with tennis.

"Guess we got 3 sports people amongst us," I said. "4 if you count your fiancé…"

Akane got pretty testy about it.

"How many times do I have to say it?" She said. "Dad and Mr. Saotome decided for the both of us; we didn't agree to anything!!"

"That's pretty demanding," Mathew spoke up. "Not to mention, pretty harsh… yet nice at the same time."

"What's nice about that?" Akane asked him. "Our dads decided _for _us – Ranma and I didn't even get a say in the matter."

"That's the harsh part," Mathew responded. "The nice part is… you must feel somewhat lucky inside that he at least shows SOME feelings for you I'm sure."

"What?! No way," Akane responded. "All he ever does is call me uncute or klutzy, etc."

"But how many times has he ever _meant_ it?" Mathew asked.

Akane was at a loss for an answer.

"I… I… I, uh… I don't know," She responded.

"It's probably because you don't even spend much time together," Mathew assumed.

"Since when have you played the role of a psychologist or a shrink?" I spoke up. "Don't you have a degree or something in that?"

"No, but I'm pretty good at sticking up for someone when they're wrongfully accused of certain things," Mathew responded.

"Ranma's taking a liking to that immediately," Akane added. "He thinks he can be saved from a whack to the head by me."

"Well… you do get pretty violent when it comes to blaming Ranma," I said to her.

"Nabiki!!!" I shouted.

"You did knock out Daddy prior – remember that?" I said to Akane.

"Knocked him out?" Mathew asked.

"Yeah… because of something Ranma said to me," Akane responded.

"When was that?" Mathew asked.

"Before my long hair got chopped off by Ryoga's umbrella," Akane answered.

"Who's that?" Mathew asked.

"That's me," We heard a different voice say.

Akane, Mathew and I happened to notice Ryoga was definitely right in front of us.

"Ryoga Hibiki – at your service," Ryoga announced.

That was the first time I'd ever hear an intro from Ryoga right after someone mentioned.

(Akane's P.O.V.)

"Ryoga!!" I said, surprised when I saw him. "What a coincidence meeting up like this."

I greeted him with a smile, like how I usually greet others… with the exception of Ranma when I found out he was half and half because of his curse.

"Akane… I…" Ryoga started saying before he got stuck, like he usually did.

"You what?" I asked, waiting patiently for his answer.

I looked back at Nabiki and Mathew and they were just waiting patiently.

"I, uh… I wanna know what he's doing with you?" Ryoga blurted out and pointing a finger.

I followed where Ryoga's finger was pointing and he was pointing it at Mathew.

"You mean Mathew?" I said.

"That his name?" Ryoga asked me.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"Guess I gotta annihilate this guy before I get to Ranma," Ryoga answered.

He started making a charge at Mathew.

"No, Ryoga!!" I shouted. "We're only friends!!"

I don't know if he heard me the first time. I started running ahead to protect Mathew.

"If there's anything worse for me to see other than Akane with Ranma, it's her with another man!!" Ryoga hollered, while continuing to charge at Mathew.

"Mathew, look out!!" I called.

End chapter.

(Well, we're going to end it here, even though it's tempting to continue after here. I thought I might leave you with a cliffhanger. Hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway… and keep checking my profile page for a couple of upcoming stories… one which is the futures of one of the favorite couples… which I'll leave you to figure out. For now, just click on "Review this story/chapter" and type in those thoughts… I need a lot of reviews if I want to continue. For now, see you guys later and stay tuned for updates.)


	12. The Matches

(Well, when we last left off on "Akane's New Friend", Ryoga was about to come at me in error for thinking that Akane had a new boyfriend… when she really doesn't. Anyway, I am sure glad people have been reading and reviewing this story, but I'm not happy that nobody has reviewed my newest story, "The Get Togethers" I really want someone to review… I don't care who. If I don't get any reviews, I'm not updating the story. Anyway, thanks to **Scourgeofthegalaxy**, **vleroy728**, and **James Birdsong** for reviewing. I sure hope that people will review "The Get Togethers" soon… and it does have moments with Ranma and Akane as well as this one… so, just sit tight. Anyway, hopefully you will enjoy this chapter.)

Copyright 2008

"Mathew, look out," Akane called out.

"Prepare for your funeral!!" Ryoga hollered again.

"I don't know what this guy's problem is," I said as I waited until he got close enough.

"I can't look," I heard Akane say as she covered her face.

When Ryoga was close enough, I reacted. I jumped as high as I could, getting a little push when my foot landed on Ryoga's head. As a result, I gave him a little pressure from my foot and sent Ryoga on his face, and landing straight on the ground on both feet.

"Okay, you can look," I said to Akane.

I had landed directly in front of her. I saw her reveal her face slowly, moving her hands away from her face… little by little.

"Mathew, you're okay," Akane said, relieved that I had heard her call.

"Sure… no problem," I said, shrugging it off.

"But how'd you make it past Ryoga without suffering from as much as a scratch?" Akane asked me.

"Alright," I said, making a small confession. "Do I do martial arts? No – BUT… I am a specialist on the _defensive_ side of the sport."

I held up a finger in the air… the index finger for that matter.

"There's no way I'm done yet," I heard Ryoga say.

He started charging for me again.

"Here we go again," I said before something happened.

I went from seeing Ryoga charging into me, to seeing nothing but Akane's female figure.

"Ryoga, stop!!!" Akane shouted again. "We're just friends… only friends!!"

"Akane?" I said, looking shocked that she'd do something like that.

I could've taken Ryoga without a hint of damage, but I stayed alert, just in case.

"Outta my way, Akane," Ryoga said again, continuing to charge. "Just when I thought Ranma was treating you wrongly, this guy comes along and charms you like a boyfriend!!"

"Boyfriend?!!" Akane and I screamed at the same time.

"You've got some nerve to think that way, airhead!!" I said, leaping over Akane and kicking Ryoga in the forehead.

"Why you…" Ryoga seethed, trying to get to his feet.

I stopped him where he was… flat on the cement with a hole that was the size of his body.

"Just so you know, man," I said to him. "If you think Akane and I are going out… you must've sent an iceberg into your temple!! Like she said, we're only friends… for the last few hours and change."

"And I'm desperate enough to believe that," Ryoga said again.

"Listen, you," I said, starting to lose it a little.

(Akane's P.O.V.)

"Alright, that's it," I said, trying to break up the scuffle.

"Thank you, Akane," Mathew said. "I didn't want to lose it and go to extremes to get this idiot to understand me."

I was shocked that he said that he was thanking me, but quickly turned my attention to why I stopped the two.

"Ryoga, Mathew's right," I said to him. "We met a few blocks from here and shortly afterwards, we became friends; we're DEFINITELY NOT a couple."

"I see what you mean," Ryoga said, hanging his head. "Guess I'll be on my way again."

"Ryoga, wait!!" I called out.

I wanted to tell him that I was going to forgive him for charging at Mathew, but he was already out of sight.

"Strange guy," Mathew said.

"Strange, yet unpredictable," I said.

"Ryoga thought you two were going out… that's why he was charging at Mathew-baby," Nabiki spoke up.

"That's exactly what I was going to say," Mathew said to Nabiki. "Strange how these things happen, huh?"

"Yeah… kind of," I said, agreeing with him.

I knew that Ranma was always picking a fight with Ryoga… at least, that's what I think, but this was the first time in a pretty long while that Ryoga had picked a fight with someone. I think the last time he picked a fight with someone was when Ukyo make her appearance at Furinkan.

"Hey, guys, should we get to the tennis courts quickly?" Nabiki said to us.

"Oh, yes…" I said, remembering why we left the dojo.

A few minutes later, Nabiki, Mathew and I arrived at the tennis courts. Fortunately, there was one court still available.

"Gee, even with Ryoga's confrontation, surprisingly, we still found a vacant court," Nabiki said.

She looked at me and Mathew.

"'Kay, Mathew, let's see what you got," She said, tossing Mathew a tennis racket.

This I didn't see coming – Nabiki and Mathew having a match… one on one. This was perfect for Mathew. I could see the blush on his face and the things he was going through.

"Mathew, this is perfect," I said to him.

"Easy for you to say, Akane babe," Mathew said back to me. "I'm sweating bullets just thinking about how I'm gonna do!"

"You'll do fine," I said.

I pushed him onto the court as Nabiki went on the court as well.

"Go for it, Mathew," I called out.

(Nabiki's P.O.V.)

As I took my side of the court, I bounced the tennis ball I got out of my bag a few times and looked over at Mathew, who was on the other side.

"I'll try to take it easy on you," I said to Mathew. "Hope you're ready anyway."

I tossed the ball in the air and served it to him. With complete ease, he was able to save it and smack it back at me. After the ball bounced, I was able to hit it back to Mathew's side. After going back and forth, tooth and nail, tit for tat, etc., Mathew was able to hit it to my left side and resulted in a 15-Love score.

"Not bad," I said. "I guess you put your left-handed talent to good use to be able to score against me."

Usually, I was one of the best at the sport, but Mathew looked like a tennis veteran scoring off a side that I wasn't quite used to.

"Gee, I'm gonna have MY hands full if Mathew and I go against each other," Akane said from the sidelines.

"You will… later on," I said to Akane. "I've never faced a left-handed tennis player before."

"First time for everything," Mathew said to me.

"True," I said, agreeing with him.

I was starting to take a liking to him as well. As I got ready to serve again, I wound up with an ace because he barely missed the ball as I hit it to the right.

"Yeah!!" I cheered.

I heard Mathew exhaling from the other end of the court. Either he was out of breath already, or he was mad about me getting the ace on him. I hoped it was the 2nd option. As he got ready to serve back at me, Mathew hit the ball as hard as he could and after going back and forth for a while, I was the one who got the point on him. Just like that, I had gone from 15-Love to leading 30-15. Right after that, Mathew started looking skyward.

"Hey, don't feel bad," I said to Mathew.

We battled it out and it came down to a tie. Mathew was serving the ball. After battling it out and going tooth and nail, the one who won was me.

"Oh man!!' Mathew said, looking skyward again.

"Hey, don't feel bad," I said, going over to his side. "You sure gave me a run for my money… you ought to feel good about that."

"I do," Mathew responded. "I just wish I won it… but this IS the first time in a pretty long while that I've played tennis."

He handed me my tennis racket and I took it from him for the time being.

"Let's have a short break," I said to him.

Akane didn't mind the fact that Mathew and I were going to take a short break before her match between one of us. She even offered to get us a couple of waters from a nearby machine.

"I guess you two will be left alone for a while," Akane said as she started heading off.

I stretched my arms and started relaxing next to Mathew.

"Nice day, huh?" I said to Mathew.

"Yeah," Mathew responded. "Thanks for inviting me to this, Nabiki."

He wrapped his arm around me. I knew he was sweaty from the tennis game, and the heat of the day. I was about to hold my breath when I smelled something nice.

"Gee, I didn't expect to smell something nice from your body," I said to Mathew.

"It's my deodorant," Mathew responded. "I knew I'd be sweaty, so I decided to apply some before we went."

"Hey, Nabiki, who's your guy friend?" I heard another voice say.

Two of my girlfriends were standing next to us.

"Oh, hey girls," I said.

End chapter.

(Alright, we're stopping here, and this is really urgent for me to continue. If any of you know the names of Nabiki's friends, please let me know in your reviews. I'm thinking of the same girls she called for in the bathhouse episode where Akane, Nabiki herself, and her friends had a plan for Happosai's peeping. As mentioned again, this is super urgent for me to continue this story… I must know their names so I can have Nabiki give a proper introduction. Please tell me in your reviews. Thank you, and I'll update when I can.)


	13. The Battles of the Sexes

(Well, everyone, it's now time for me to update "Akane's New Friend." Although I wasn't able to find out the names of Nabiki's friends, even with other people's help, I'll still update anyway. I do want to thank all the others for trying at least… don't feel bad. I don't know their names, so I'll probably use their descriptions; I don't feel comfortable using made-up names. Just don't ask me why. In the meantime, thanks to **Akane7Uzumaki**, **James Birdsong**, **jdcocoagirl**, and **vleroy728** for reviewing. For now, hope you all enjoy this chapter.)

Copyright 2008

"That's Mathew," Nabiki said to her friends. "He's staying with us."

"Nice to meet you both," I responded.

"Same here," The fiery-haired girl responded.

In the meanwhile, Akane had returned to our spot with two bottles of water. She handed one to me and the other to me.

"So, what brings you girls here?" Nabiki asked her friends.

"Just for a few games for fun," The short-haired girl responded.

"Nabiki," Akane said to one of her older sisters. "Did you invite them here?"

"No, they were just here by mere coincidence," Nabiki answered.

"And I just met them a few minutes ago," I said as I took a sip of my water.

"Are you up for a match, Nabiki?" The fiery-haired girl asked.

"Yeah, why not," Nabiki responded, twisting the bottle cap back onto the bottle.

Before she went off, Nabiki tossed us the tennis bottle she used for the game between me and her.

"Battle it out, you guys," She called out to the two of us.

I was left blushing as Nabiki went off for a game with her friends. I looked at Akane and she was blushing as well.

"Well, should we?" I asked Akane.

"Yeah," She responded.

"Ladies first," I said, tossing the tennis ball to Akane.

"Boy, talk about being a gentleman," Akane said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Hey, I know my manners," I said. "By the way, I find this a little funny that I'm playing tennis with you and Nabiki."

"How so?" Akane asked.

"Well, the last time I heard the word "tennis" was when my Grandpa made a joke about it with his elbow, saying that it was a tennis ball," I responded. "That's because he has a hole in it – a hole that's the size of a pencil tip."

"How can you get a hole in your elbow?" Akane asked.

"Now THAT I don't know," I responded. "But what I do know is that my Grandma wraps it up with a diaper and my Grandpa uses an elbow band to keep the fluid from coming out. I've seen it before and I've lost my appetite over it."

"Geez, I'd hate to be in your shoes if I ever saw that elbow… or the fluid for that matter," Akane responded.

She started bouncing the tennis ball up and down.

"In the meantime, hope you're up for your match against me," Akane said to me.

"Bring it on," I said with a hint of a grin on my face.

I had a feeling Akane was thinking I was overconfident on me winning the match against her and Nabiki… it was definitely redemption time for me after losing to Nabiki earlier. If I had won it, I would've felt like what Ryan Dungey went through this year in winning the 2009 Supercross Lites West Coast Championship.

(Kasumi's P.O.V.)

While the girls and Mathew were out playing tennis, I was making lunch for Father, Ranma, and Mr. Saotome.

"Lunch is ready, boys," I called out.

When everyone gathered around, I served them oden. That's when Father looked around and noticed that the girls and Mathew were missing.

"I say, has anyone seen the girls and Mathew?" Father asked.

"They're out playing tennis," I responded.

Mr. Saotome held up a sign that translated to "You should've gone along with them, Ranma."

"Shut up!!" Ranma shouted, kicking him in the face. "How many times do I have to say it – where she goes is NOT my business."

"Ranma…" Father started seething.

"Father, let him be," I said, holding Father back. "It's not like Ranma _needs_ to be wherever Akane is."

Mr. Saotome held up another sign that translated to "Should've gone along."

"Hey – who are YOU to talk!!" Ranma shouted again, punching him once again.

"Mr. Saotome," I spoke up. "For once I agree with Ranma – he doesn't need to be wherever Akane is."

"Yeah… besides, who are you to put your two cents into everything?" Ranma snapped again, standing up. "Thanks to you, my life is messed up; excuse me for this."

Ranma left his spot at the table and walked out of the room.

"One day he'll understand," Father said.

"Mm-hmm," I responded as I gathered all the bowls.

"I heard that!!" Ranma called out. "That ain't happening!!"

I saw Father shake his head. In the meantime, I headed off to the kitchen to wash the bowls.

"Boys will be boys," I said to myself as I got back to my daily routine.

(Akane's P.O.V.)

Back at the tennis courts, Mathew and I had just finished our game where Mathew won by two hits. He had thrown a fist pump in the air with his left hand. I couldn't quit smiling, seeing as that was the only thing he did in celebration.

"Hey, that was something, wasn't it?" I asked him.

"Yeah, redemption time for me, definitely," Mathew responded.

"Mm-hmm, for sure," I said to him, smiling.

This was the first time I was getting along well with a boy… unlike Ranma. Usually, I hated boys, but Mathew was much different than Kuno or the other boys at school.

"Should we do this more often?" I asked Mathew as we sat down.

"Yeah, when I find some off weekends from my racing," Mathew answered.

"Hey, guys," We heard Nabiki greet as she came back.

"Hey, how'd it go?" I asked.

"I won another one," Nabiki answered. "Who won the match between you two?" She asked us.

I pointed my finger at Mathew.

"Wow, I'm impressed," Nabiki said as she sat down next to him.

She wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"Akane, you should get a load of this," Nabiki said to me. "The first time he wrapped his arms around me, I smelled something… nice."

"It's my deodorant," Mathew said to Akane. "I didn't want to have my armpits smell bad in front of girls… so I put some on before we left."

I sat down on Mathew's other side and I smelled above his shoulder. I could definitely smell the deodorant that Mathew applied.

"You're right, Nabiki," I said to Nabiki. "He does have some kind of deodorant on him."

(End Akane's P.O.V.)

I was about to just enjoy the sights of the sky when I thought I heard a familiar voice.

"Huh?" I uttered, twitching for a second.

"What's going on, Mathew?" Nabiki asked me.

"Yeah, why'd you twitch?" Akane asked.

"Shh," I said, putting a finger to my mouth. "Listen."

The girls put their hands near their ears and tried listening to what I thought I heard.

"I don't hear anything," Akane said.

"Wait a bit," I said.

Akane continued to listen. The voice was faint, but we DID hear something.

End chapter

(Well, folks, we're stopping here and I'll leave you all to figure out whose voice that was. In the meantime, I do hope you enjoyed reading this and I'll have the next chapter of "The Get Togethers" up soon. I haven't started it yet, but I plan on it soon… seeing as my Spring semester of College is done. Well, for now, that's all folks… and I'll see you with my next update. Bye for now. Hope to see those reviews for this chapter soon.)


	14. The Freak Stops Here

(Well, everyone, it's time for chapter 14 of "Akane's New Friend." When we last left off on this story, I had just heard a strange sound that the girls were trying to hear themselves. What was that sound? You'll have to read to find out. Thanks to **James Birdsong**, **vleroy728**, and **Unknown 2008** for reviewing. Hopefully I get more for this one and for "The Get Togethers" soon. BTW, I will be updating that soon after I post this chapter. So, for now, sit back, relax, and read. Hopefully you'll enjoy it.)

Copyright 2008

"Do you hear it?" I asked the girls.

"Not me," Akane answered.

After waiting a bit, we heard it again.

"What a haul!! What a haul!! What a haul!! What a haul!!" We heard the soft voice say.

"I'll give you one guess," I said to the girls.

"Honestly," Akane said. "Doesn't he ever stop?!"

"Leave him to me," I said.

I leapt into the air, leaving the girls alone on the tennis courts.

"Give it a rest!!" I shouted, landing on Happosai's head.

"Hey!! What do you think you're doing?" Happosai protested, looking pretty pissed about it.

"Saving the female population with this," I responded, noticing the crowd of girls chasing after him.

I threw his sack of girls' lingerie to the crowd.

"N-No!! My collection!!" Happosai said, his voice cracking.

"Collection my foot," I said in reaction to his gross robberies.

That's when I saw the girls come.

"It was him after all," Akane said.

"Gee, that's some good hearing, Mathew," Nabiki commented.

"Thanks," I responded. "I was known for hearing the phone in my Mom's house from a far distance back home."

"That's something," Nabiki said again.

"What's the use of stealing now," Happosai said. "Especially when there's one more spoiler in the house…"

I looked at where he was and he was grasping Akane's bosom.

"Oh come on," Akane said. "GIVE IT UP NOW BEFORE YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!"

And with that she sent the cunt skyward.

"Honestly, with Happosai stealing everyone else's underwear, girls will never get a break, except for that one time where he was taken in return for me."

"Really," I said.

"Mm-hmm," Akane responded. "I was taken hostage by a guy who turned into a flying ox when splashed with cold water."

"And Ranma saved you?" I asked.

"Along with Ryoga, Shampoo, and Mousse," Akane responded.

"Who's the last one?" I asked.

"Someone who has a complete dent in the head when it comes to understanding people or seeing people," Akane answered. "When splashed with cold water, he turns into a duck."

"Interesting," I said.

"So, should we head back?" Nabiki asked us.

"Sure, the sun's getting even stronger, and I don't know if I can stand this heat," I said.

"Isn't Hawaii this hot?" Nabiki asked me.

"Not especially," I answered.

I started telling them what it was like back there as we headed home.

(Akane's P.O.V.)

"We're home," I called out.

"How was it, girls?" Kasumi asked when she saw us.

"Good," Mathew responded. "I got a win along the way against Akane, but I lost by one hit to Nabiki."

"How wonderful," Kasumi said in reaction to what Mathew said.

That's when Ranma appeared. He looked all beaten up and everything.

"Ranma!!" I said, shocked as ever. "What happened?"

"I'll give you one guess," Ranma responded.

"That cunt again?" Mathew asked.

"Yes," Ranma answered.

"Geez, the things that guy does," Mathew said.

"You're telling me," Ranma responded.

"Well, I stopped him today," Mathew said to him.

"Mm-hmm," I said, agreeing with him. "And amazing as it sounds… Mathew HEARD him."

"He WHAT?!!" Ranma shouted. "You HEARD Happosai coming?"

"Sure did, man," Mathew responded.

In the meantime, Nabiki and I left to change out of our tennis outfits, and Mathew was feeling hot in his sweaty shirt, so he decided to wear another one. I came out of my room wearing my yellow dress and Nabiki was wearing her green/blue overalls and orange and blue striped shirt. Mathew came out in another one of his motocross shirts, but with the last name "Vuillemin" on the back and a number 12 underneath it.

"You three must be hungry after all that tennis and that heat outside," Kasumi said. "I just prepared some iced tea."

"Oh okay," Mathew said, raising his eyebrows again. "All that tennis left me parched."

"Okay, go on," Kasumi said. "And I even made some snacks."

"Thanks, Kasumi," I said and we began to dig in.

After we had finished the snacks that she made for us, we all headed off to our rooms. When I got into my room, I plopped down on my bed and just lay down, relaxing from the scorching hot and eventful day that me and Nabiki have had so far today – showing Mathew around, swimming at the pool, and just recently, going out for tennis. I looked at my clock and it was only after 5 p.m. already.

"Only after 5 p.m. already?" I said to myself. "I'm already spent… hopefully that's the last time I go outside for today…"

(End Akane's P.O.V.)

I sure had a pretty long day – getting to play tennis with the girls, but the only thing we didn't do together as 3 was swim… seeing as I didn't count on Akane or Nabiki wanting to head off to the pool.

"Boy, that was such a great day I had," I said to myself.

3 hours later, the entire family, including me… were sitting at the table eating our dinner that was prepared by Kasumi herself.

"So, I'm hearing you girls and Mathew had a pretty busy day," Mr. Tendo said to Akane and Nabiki.

"We did," Nabiki said. "We just got back from the tennis courts."

"And stopped Happosai from another one of his raids," I added. "Well, Mathew did anyway."

"I'm impressed," Ranma spoke up. "Usually, the freak gets away with it, even with me trying my hardest to get him; often times I get him the first time… now YOU get him on your very first try on stopping him."

"Hey, whatever we gotta do to give the female population a break," Mathew simply said.

"You and me both," Ranma said, agreeing with him.

The two boys gently gave each other a fist-to-fist hit. Ranma and Mathew seemed to be getting along well with each other.

End chapter.

(Well, that'll do it for this one. I know it seems a little short, but when I update "The Get Togethers" it'll be longer. I don't know how long this story is going to be… but I'll see if I can finish my other stories before getting to this one and the other. For now, leave those reviews and tell me your favorite parts if you had any.)


	15. After Dinner Fun

(Well, I decided that it's time I updated "Akane's New Friend". It's been a while since I updated that story, so I figured that since I updated my two other stories, "The Get Togethers?" and "The Decision of a Lifetime; Will Ranma Go Alone", I better get to updating this story as well. I have still been updating my stories, despite threatening reviews from people who disobey my "No flames allowed" policy. In the meantime, thanks to **The Time Traveler**, **jdcocoagirl**, **Unknown 2008**, and **vleroy728** for reviewing. Wow, almost 100 reviews for my first Ranma ½ story. In the meantime keep those reviews coming for this story and my other two. I appreciate every good review that almost everyone leaves, while I get criticizing, and even steaming mad ones from people with no lives. In the meantime, enjoy this next chapter.)

Copyright 2008

(Ranma's P.O.V.)

With Mathew, I felt like I finally found some help on stopping the Freak on his raids. I could tell that Mathew was going to be one of the best friends that I ever had in a long time. In the meantime, we had all finished our dinner and Kasumi had taken every empty bowl into the kitchen.

"Nabiki, dishes," She called out.

"I'm on it," Nabiki responded.

"Can I help, too?" Mathew asked.

"We got it, thanks," Kasumi responded.

"Okay," Mathew said, not going too far.

"So, what do you want to do now?" I asked Mathew.

"Hey, I've got a few games up in the room Kasumi gave me," Mathew said to me. "Are you game, man?" He asked.

"Sure," I answered.

I followed Mathew upstairs and he had about three or four different video game consoles, but only one was plugged in.

"Let's see how good you are," Mathew said to me, tossing a controller at me.

We were playing a game of something called Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. Although I lost a couple to Mathew, he clearly explained the mistakes I was making and what I should do to keep me from doing the same thing twice. I was especially struggling with the board part at the beginning of a race at City Escape.

"You're the same as one of my cousins… he did the exact same mistake with the chicane part," Mathew said to me.

I learned so much from his guidance on playing that Sonic game I just didn't feel like stopping. I finally gave in after a couple of losses to Mathew.

"Gee, that was great fun," I said.

"Yeah, I like how you were giving me competition the last time we raced," Mathew said to me.

Next morning, I was able to wake up with time to spare… eating my breakfast and getting my stuff ready. That's when I noticed that Mathew wasn't around.

"Hey, where's Mathew?" I asked. "He's gonna be late for school."

"Oh, Mathew told me and Nabiki that he's done with high school already," Akane answered.

"Lucky him, the guy doesn't have to go to school," Nabiki said. "I wonder why Kasumi offered him to stay with us?"

"That's because I was nice to you and Nabiki," We heard a familiar voice say.

I looked over and saw that it was indeed, Mathew… and Kasumi holding two lunches, while Mathew was holding one. We noticed Kasumi was in her normal outfit when she did her housework, and Mathew was in yet another different one of his motocross shirts, but it was blue and yellow on the front and back with the last name "Reed" on the back and a 22 underneath it.

"I guess Kasumi appreciates a good helper like you," Akane said to him.

"Hey, only trying to pull my own weight around here," Mathew responded.

"I certainly appreciate the extra free time I get with Mathew's help," Kasumi added.

"Extra free time?" Akane asked.

"Yes," Kasumi said. She looked at the clock and added, "Looks like you three better hit it for school."

She handed Akane and me our lunches and Mathew handed Nabiki her lunch.

"Surprise you handed me my lunch," Nabiki said to Mathew.

He looked away from her with red cheeks and said, "Hey, I know she can't carry all 3 at once,"

"He's such a good help, isn't he?" Kasumi said with her smile and folded hands.

"Like I said," Mathew said to us. "I'm only trying to pull my own weight."

"And he's certainly doing just that," Kasumi responded.

So, after that, we got our shoes on and bolted off for school.

(Kasumi's P.O.V.)

After Ranma and the girls had left for school, I looked at Mathew. I was really appreciative of the help he's given me.

"You've definitely been a big help around here," I said to him.

To show my gratitude, I gave Mathew a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, well," Mathew said, clearing his throat. "It's the least I can do, seeing as you offered me to stay with you guys."

"I suppose you're right about that," I said to Mathew. "But I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't need to," Mathew responded.

"But with you around and helping out, it gives me more free time, which I rarely get," I explained to him.

I bowed my head and gave Mathew a gentle hug. I continued to show my gratitude by cooking my best ramen for him alone. And, I used the fork I got out the first time he had dinner with us.

"You don't need to you know, Kasumi," Mathew said to me.

"Oh no," I insisted. "It's the least I can show my gratitude for somebody who's always willing to help."

"Oh… well, thanks," Mathew said, trying to show appreciation.

I could tell it was a bit hard for Mathew to find some way to thank me, especially after I let him stay with us for as long as he wanted.

End chapter.

(Well, we're going to stop for now and I apologize if you think Kasumi was a bit OOC… I tried to keep as close to her personality as I could. In the meantime, I'm still taking votes of which of the three Tendo girls should be up first to cheer up Ranma for "The Decision of a Lifetime; Will Ranma Go Alone?" so I need to see more reviews. I'll end it here for now, and I'll get back to updating my other stories as soon as I can. In the meantime, click that review button down below, but before I go, I do have something to say for trolls on fanfiction: I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I don't criticize people's writing negatively, so, why do you do it to me? I don't deserve it… my fics are great and fun to read to say the least. Okay, I'll see you guys then.)


End file.
